Device for coupling a boat to a mooring

ABSTRACT

A device for coupling a boat to a boat mooring. The device comprises an elongate shaft which has first and second ends and the first end has a coupling mechanism for coupling the device to a mooring while the second end supports a hook member having a C-shaped hook base with a first end thereof integrally formed with the shaft and a free second end which curves back toward the shaft. The second free end of the C-shaped hook base comprises an elongate retaining and guide section which extends parallel and adjacent to the shaft. An unobstructed entrance is formed between the elongate retaining and guide section and the shaft. The shaft has a thickened transition section where the shaft transitions into the hook member so as to provide additional strength to the device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device for releasably coupling and uncoupling a boat to a mooring with the device preferably being manufactured from a strong, durable corrosion resistant material such as a combination of stainless steel and steel, coated with a corrosion resistant material or coating.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are a variety of known devices which assist a user with either hooking a conventional mooring hook to a boat mooring or some other device or object as well as facilitating unhooking of the mooring hook from a boat mooring or some other desired object. However, all the known prior art devices suffer from a number of associated drawbacks. In particular, such devices do not facilitate quick, secure and reliable latching and unlatching of the hook from a desired object in a quick and easy manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Wherefore, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned shortcomings and drawbacks associated with the prior art boat coupling devices.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device with a sturdy and durable hook which facilitates easy coupling and uncoupling of a boat to a desire boat mooring or an eyelet of a boat.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device which is manufactured from stainless steel, steel (coated with a corrosion resistant covering or some other conventional but durable coating), brass, aluminum or some other strong and durable yet corrosion resistant material which facilitates use of the device in corrosive environments, such as water and salt water environments.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a device which allows a user to easily and securely couple and uncouple the device, according to the present invention, to an eyelet typically secured to the forward most portion of the bow of the boat, slightly above the water line, as well as to an eyelet of a floating mooring.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device, which does not have any moving or operable components, but still facilitates relatively easy and secure coupling and uncoupling of the hook member of the device to and from either a boat eyelet, secured to the bow of the boat, or a mooring eyelet coupled to a conventional floating mooring.

Still another object of the present invention is to avoid any moving components, for the device, so as to improve the overall reliability and functionality of the device and thereby avoid any possible malfunction of the device during use.

The present invention relates to a device for coupling a boat to a mooring, the device comprising a device for coupling a boat to a mooring, the device comprising an elongate shaft having a first end and an opposed second end, the first end of the shaft having a coupling mechanism for coupling the device to a mooring, and the device defines a longitudinal axis; the second end of the shaft supporting a hook member having a C-shaped hook base with a first end thereof integrally formed with the shaft and a free second end which curves back toward the shaft; and the second free end of the C-shaped hook base comprising an elongate retaining and guide section which extends parallel and adjacent to the shaft and being spaced therefrom so as to facilitate receiving a desired eyelet therebetween.

The present invention also relates to a boat mooring for a boat, the boat mooring comprising: a device for coupling a boat to the boat mooring, the device comprising: an elongate shaft having a first end and an opposed second end, the first end of the shaft having a coupling mechanism for coupling the device to a mooring, and the device defines a longitudinal axis; the second end of the shaft supporting a hook member having a C-shaped hook base with a first end thereof integrally formed with the shaft and a free second end which curves back toward the shaft; the second free end of the C-shaped hook base comprising an elongate retaining and guide section which extends parallel and adjacent to the shaft and being spaced therefrom so as to facilitate receiving a desired eyelet therebetween; a mooring weight for engagement with a bottom of a body of water; a floatable mooring for marking a location of the boat mooring; a second flexible linkage for interconnecting the floatable mooring with the weight; and a first flexible linkage interconnecting the floatable mooring with the coupling member of the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic prospective view showing an embodiment of the device according to the present;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the initial engaging arrangement of the hook member with respect to an eyelet supported by a bow of a boat;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing partial engagement between the hook member and the eyelet supported by the bow of the boat following initial relative movement therebetween;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing substantially full engagement between the hook member and the eyelet supported by the bow of the boat, once the eyelet of the boat is received within the C-shaped region of the hook member;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing completion of the relative pivoting movement of the device with respect to the eyelet, supported by the bow of the boat, to facilitate securely retention of the boat in its moored location by the device;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the device, according to the present invention, in its normal position on the mooring, prior to coupling the boat to a conventional mooring; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic prospective view showing a hook retrieve apparatus for use in retrieving the device according to the present.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning first to FIG. 1, a detail description concerning the various components of the present invention will now be provided. As can be seen in this Figure, the device 1 generally comprises an elongate shaft 2, preferably manufactured from a unitary solid piece of steel, stainless steel, brass, or typically some other corrosion resistant material. The shaft 2 defines a longitudinal axis X of the device 1 and has an outer diameter of at least ⅛ of an inch, more preferably between about ⅜ to about ½ of an inch or so. It is to be appreciated that the thickness of the shaft 2 may vary, from application to application, depending upon the size of the boat to be moored by the device 1.

The elongate shaft 2 has a first end 4 and an opposed second end 6. The first end 4 supports a coupling member, such as an eyelet or continuous loop member 8. The eyelet or continuous loop member 8 is preferably a continuation of the shaft or otherwise permanently attached to the first end 4 of the device 1, e.g., by welding or in some other conventional manner, so as to become integral with the first end 4 of the shaft 2. A conventional plastic hand grip 10 is preferably positioned or otherwise secured adjacent the eyelet or continuous loop member 8 and the hand grip 10 is located so as to facilitate manipulation of the device 1 by an end user, as will be described below in further detail.

The opposed second end 6 of the elongate shaft 2 supports a hook member 12 for releasably engaging a desired “eyelet” or “continuous loop” component 26 (see FIG. 6, for example) of a mooring buoy 28 or a desired “eyelet” or “continuous loop” component 30 (see FIGS. 2-5, for example) of a boat 32. As shown in FIG. 1, the second end of the shaft 2 has a thickened or transition section 16 where the shaft 2 transitions from a generally thinner shaft 2 into a generally thicker hook member 12. This thickened section 16 of the shaft 2 provides additional strength to the device 1 and the hook member 12 to ensure that the device 1 does not fail, yield, sheer, or break even under the most extreme, adverse and turbulent mooring conditions of a boat.

The hook member 12 comprises a generally C-shaped hook base 14 which has a first end thereof integrally formed with the transition section 16 located at the second end of the shaft 2. The opposite free end of the C shaped hook base 14 eventually curves back toward the shaft 2 and comprises a generally solid but thinner elongate retaining and guide section 18. The hook member 12, is preferably manufactured from steel, or some other high strength material, which resists bending or deformation of the hook member 12 during use. Preferably the hook member 12 will be able to lift 3,000 pounds of weight without undergoing any straightening, bending and/or distortion of the hook member 12.

Typically, a center C of the central open region 20, defined by the inwardly facing surface of the hook member 12, is substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis X of the device 1 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). This arrangement facilitates centering of the eyelet 26, 30 with respect to hook member 12 of the device 1, e.g., its longitudinal axis X.

The elongate retaining and guide section 18 extends generally parallel to both the longitudinal axis X and the transition section 16 of the shaft 2. The elongate retaining and guide section 18 typically has a length of between 0.5 inch or so and 4 inches or so and an outer diameter of at least ⅛ of an inch, more preferably between about ⅜ to about ½ of an inch or so, for example. An unobstructed entrance E is formed between the leading free end 22 of the elongate retaining and guide section 18 and the transition section 16, and this unobstructed entrance E leads to the C-shaped central open region 20. The leading free end 22 of the elongate retaining and guide section 18 is typically rounded, tapered, or otherwise contoured so as to facilitate engagement with a desired eyelet 26, 30, as discussed below in further detail. If desired, a plastic sleeve or cap S may be fitted over the leading end 22 of the elongate retaining and guide section 18, as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1.

The spacing of the elongate retaining and guide section 18 from the transition section 16 of the shaft 2 is typically slightly greater than the overall thickness, dimension or diameter D of the desired eyelet 26, 30 to be engaged. That is, there is typically a clearance of at least a few thousands of an inch or so to about an ⅛ or a ¼ of an inch or so to facilitate sliding movement of the device 1, relative to the desired eyelet 26, 30 of a mooring buoy 28 or a boat 32, as is described below in further detail.

The device 1 typically engages with either a desired eyelet 26 of a mooring buoy 28 or a desired eyelet 30 of a boat 32 and, by way of example, a detailed description concerning engagement of the device with an eyelet 30 of a boat 32 now be described with reference to FIGS. 2-5. As shown in FIG. 2, the longitudinal axis X of the device 1 is arranged to be substantially perpendicular to a plane P defined by the through passage or opening O of the desired eyelet to be engaged, in this instance, the eyelet 30 of the boat 32.

Once the device 1 is orientated in such position such that the leading free end 22 of the elongate retaining and guide section 18 is substantially centered with respect to the through passage or opening O of the eyelet 30 of the boat 32, the device 1 can be moved along an engagement axis Y, which extends through the center of the eyelet to be engaged and is normal to the plane P defined by the eyelet to be engaged, so that the leading end 22 of the elongate retaining and guide section 18 enters and commences passing through the opening O of the eyelet 30, as generally shown in FIG. 3. As a result of such movement, a section of the eyelet 30 becomes captively retained between the elongate retaining and guide section 18 and the transition section 16 of the shaft 2.

As the user continues moving the device 1 along the engagement axis Y, the eyelet 30 eventually becomes accommodated within the C-shaped central open region 20 of the hook member 12, as generally shown in FIG. 4. Once the device 1 and the eyelet 30 are located in the relative generally positions shown in FIG. 4, further relative movement of those two components, along the engagement axis Y, discontinues and a pivoting motion now commences.

Once the eyelet 30 and the device 1 are in the relative positions generally shown in FIG. 4, the device 1 then commences a pivoting movement with respect to the eyelet 30 of the boat 32. That is, the device 1 is pivoted such that the device 1 no longer lies generally normal with respect to the plane P but is pivoted so as to lie generally within the plane P defined by the eyelet 30 of the boat 32, as shown in FIG. 5. That is, the longitudinal axis X of the device 1 is either generally coincident with or extends generally parallel to the plane P of the eyelet 30 of the boat 32. Once the device 1 and the eyelet 30 of the boat 32 are located in the relative positions shown in FIG. 5, the device 1 is thus securely and reliably coupled to the eyelet 30 of the boat 32, and such coupling of the device 1 with the eyelet 30 securely and reliably couples the boat 32 to the mooring buoy 28.

Following engagement of the device 1 with the eyelet 30 of the boat 32, in the event that the moored boat experiences any wind, waves, turbulence, etc., the device 1 and/or the eyelet 30 of the boat 32 may experience a relative to and fro motion in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 5) generally along the plane P defined by the device 1. During such relative motion, a leading second end 6 of the hook member 12 of the device 1 typically abuts against section of the eyelet 30 of the boat 32 while the retaining and guide member 18 prevents the hook member 12 from becoming inadvertently dislodged or otherwise disconnected from the eyelet 30 of the boat 32. That is, it is to be appreciated that in order for the device 1 to be disconnected or uncoupled from the eyelet 30 of the boat 32, the above described procedure must be generally reversed. Namely, the device 1 must first undergo a pivoting movement with respect to plane P defined by the eyelet 30 of the boat 32 (i.e., the device 1 must first be pivoted or moved from the orientation shown generally in FIG. 5 to the orientation shown generally in FIG. 4) so that the device 1 no longer generally lies in the plane P defined by the eyelet 30 but is essentially oriented normal to the plane P of the eyelet 30. That is, the longitudinal axis X of the device 1 typically forms an angle of at least 35° or so, and more preferably an angle of at least 45° or so relative to the plane P defined by the eyelet 30 so as to facilitate movement of the device 1 along the engagement axis Y which extends generally normal to the plane P.

It is to be appreciated, however, that the typically mooring forces, between the moored boat 32 and the mooring weight 34, counteract such pivoting motion of the device from its orientation shown generally in FIG. 5 into its orientation shown generally in FIG. 4. That is, the weight of the device 1 typically restrains and maintains the device 1 so that it typically lies substantially in plane P and, in addition to this, the associated coupling of the boat 32 to the mooring weight 34, via first and second flexible linkages 36, 38, the device 1, the mooring buoy 28, etc., (see FIG. 6 and a further description concerning these components will follow below) have a tendency of returning back toward and retaining the device 1 in the position shown in FIG. 5 and thereby resist positioning of the device 1 in an orientation that could possibly result in any undesired uncoupling or disconnection of the device 1 from the eyelet 30 of the boat 32.

As is apparent from the above, due to the contour of the C shaped hook member 12 and the associated arrangement of the retaining and guide member 18 as well as the shape of the eyelet 30 of the boat 32, these components all interact with one another to facilitate a safe, reliable, convenient and accurate coupling and uncoupling of a boat to a mooring buoy 28 in the simple manner which avoids any inadvertent disconnection of the device 1 from the eyelet 30 of the boat 32 or the eyelet 26 of the mooring buoy 28. That is, in order for the device 1 to become disconnected from the eyelet 30 of the boat 32, the device must first be pivoted into the relative position shown in FIG. 4 so as to lie generally normal to the plane P. However, both the inherent weight of the device 1 as well as the typical mooring tensioning forces applied between the mooring weight 34 and the boat 32 will tend to retain the device 1 in an orientation such that the longitudinal axis X of the device 1 lies substantially in or is parallel to the plane P defined by the eyelet 30 of the boat 32, as shown in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 6, the device 1, according to the present invention, is typically permanently coupled, via its eyelet or continuous loop member 8, to a mooring buoy 28 of the mooring 40. Typically the loop member 8 is coupled to a lower loop member 42 of a floating mooring buoy 28 of the mooring 40 via the conventional first flexible linkage 36 such as a marine rope, a stainless steel chain, a wire cable or any other conventional marine securing member which is conventionally used for such application. The lower eyelet or loop member 42 of the mooring 40 is also permanently attached, via a conventional second flexible linkage 38 such as a marine rope, a stainless steel chain, a wire cable or any other conventional marine securing member, to a submerged mooring weight 34 located on the bottom 56 of a lake, a river, a pond, an ocean or some other body of water 58 on which the boat will be moored at a desired location. The submerged mooring weight 34 is sized so as to retain the mooring 40, and any moored boat, at its initially installed location in the body of water.

The mooring weight 34 is typically embedded, sunken or submerged into the bottom 56 of the body of water 58 so that the weight 34 is essentially permanently affixed and retained at the submerged location. As the mooring buoy 28 is buoyant, the mooring buoy 28 floats on the top surface of the body of water 58 and is coupled to the mooring weight 34 by the conventional second flexible linkage 38. Such coupling and floatation facilitates positioning of an upper eyelet or loop member 26 so that is generally located out of the body of water 58 to facilitate both coupling and uncoupling with the hook member 12 of the device 1, generally as described above. As the general features of the boat mooring 40 are conventional and well known in the art, and form no part of the present invention per se, a further detailed discussion concerning the same is not provided.

During normal use, the hook member 12 of the device 1 is initially hooked to the upper eyelet or loop member 26, supported by the mooring 40, such that the hand grip 10, of the device 1, is typically partially or completely submerged under the water 58, as generally shown in FIG. 6. The device 1, according to the present, is primarily manufactured from steel/stainless steel, or some other material resistant to rust and corrosion. In addition, any metal, e.g., steel, which may be prone to rust or corrosion is coated with or dipped into a durable plastic or some other corrosion/rust resistant material, so as to facilitate use of the device 1 in fresh water or salt water.

When a user desires to moor a boat, the user maneuvers his/her boat so as to approach the mooring 40 by a conventional boat approach path which facilitates retrieving the first end 4 of the completely or partially submerged device 1 from the water 58 (see FIG. 5) either by hand or by using a paddle, hook or some other retrieval element, such as a hook retrieve apparatus described below with reference to FIG. 7. Once the device 1 is retrieved by the user, the user then grabs the hand grip 10 of the device so as to manipulate detachment of the hook member 12 from the upper eyelet or loop member 26 of the mooring 40, as described above. That is, the user first pivots the device 1 from a position in which the device 1 generally lies in the plane defined by the eyelet 26 to a position in which the device lies substantially normal to the opening O of the eyelet 26 of the mooring 40. Thereafter, the device is moved relative to the eyelet 26 so that a section of the eyelet 26 is guided between the retaining and guide section 18 and the transition section 16 of the shaft 2 until the eyelet 26 is completely uncoupled and disconnected from the device 1.

Once this has occurred, the user can thereafter easily, quickly and reliably secure the hook member 12 to the eyelet 30 located at the bow of the boat 32, as described above with reference to FIGS. 2-5. Once the hook member 12 is secured to the eyelet 30 located at the bow of the boat 32, the user then releases the device 1 and the device 1 then reliably couples the eyelet 30 of the boat 32 to the boat mooring 40. Thereafter, the user can disembark from the boat 32, in a conventional manner, and remain confident that the hook member 12 of the device 1 will remain permanently connected with the eyelet 30 located at the bow of the boat 32.

When use of the boat 32 is desired, the user retrieves the device 1 from the water 58 by hand or using a paddle, a hook or some other retrieval component. Once the device 1 is retrieved, the user will grasp the hand grip 10 and manipulate the device 1 so as to facilitate detachment of the hook member 12 from the eyelet 30 of the boat 32 by reversing the steps shown in FIGS. 2-5. Thereafter, the user can then hook the hook member 12 to the eyelet 26 of the mooring 40. Once this has occurred, the user releases the device 1 and the hook member 12 remains affixed to the upper eyelet or loop member 26, supported by the mooring 40, but typically partially submerged in the water 58. Due to the floatation of the mooring buoy 28, the device 1 is maintained adjacent to the top surface of the water 58 for easy retrieval by the end user once the boating activity of the user is concluded.

With reference now to FIG. 7, a brief description concerning a hook retrieve apparatus, for use in retrieving the device according to the present invention , will now be described. As can be seen in this Figure, the hook retrieval apparatus 60 generally comprises an S-shaped elongate member, preferably manufactured from 304 stainless steel, which has a length of approximately 40±20 inches and a diameter of about ¼±⅛ inches. Each opposed end 62, 64 of the retrieval apparatus 60 generally has a C-shaped opening 66 which defines a retrieval aperture for engaging with the shaft 2 of the device 1 which typically has a radius of about ¾±½ inches. During use, a user will grab one end 62 of the S-shaped retrieval apparatus 60 while the opposite end 64 thereof is lowered into the water 58. User will then position the C-shaped opening 66 of the submerged end 64 of the retrieval apparatus 60 beneath the shaft 2 of the device 1 and then gradually raise the retrieval apparatus 60, along with the retrieved device 1, out of the water as the C-shaped opening 66 captively engages and retains the shaft 2 of the device 1. Once the device 1 is sufficiently out of the water, the user can then grab the handle 10, in a conventional manner, and separate the device 1 from the retrieval apparatus 60 and thereafter unhook the device 1 from the buoy 40, in the manner described above.

Preferably the device 1 has an axial length of between at least one (1) feet and ten (10) feet, typically depending on the size of the boat to be moored, and more preferably the axial length of the device 1 is between about two (2) to about five (5) feet.

Since certain changes may be made in the above described improved device for coupling a boat to a mooring, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all of the subject matter of the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted merely as examples illustrating the inventive concept herein and shall not be construed as limiting the invention. 

Wherefore, I/we claim:
 1. A device for coupling a boat to a mooring, the device comprising: an elongate shaft having a first end and an opposed second end, the first end of the shaft having a coupling mechanism for coupling the device to a mooring, and the device defines a longitudinal axis; the second end of the shaft supporting a hook member having a C-shaped hook base with a first end thereof integrally formed with the shaft and a free second end which curves back toward the shaft; and the second free end of the C-shaped hook base comprising an elongate retaining and guide section which extends parallel and adjacent to the shaft and being spaced therefrom so as to facilitate receiving a desired eyelet therebetween.
 2. The device for coupling the boat to the mooring according to claim 1, wherein an unobstructed entrance, for receiving the desired eyelet, is formed between the elongate retaining and guide section and the shaft.
 3. The device for coupling the boat to the mooring according to claim 1, wherein the shaft has a thickened transition section where the shaft transitions into the hook member so as to provide additional strength to the device.
 4. The device for coupling the boat to the mooring according to claim 1, wherein the C-shaped hook base defines a central open region, and a center of the central open region of the C-shaped hook base is coincident with the longitudinal axis of the device.
 5. The device for coupling the boat to the mooring according to claim 4, wherein the elongate retaining and guide section has a length of between 0.5 inch and 4 inches and a leading end of the elongate retaining and guide section forms an unobstructed entrance which leads to the central open region.
 6. The device for coupling the boat to the mooring according to claim 5, wherein a leading free end of the elongate retaining and guide section is one of rounded, tapered or contoured so as to facilitate engagement with the desired eyelet.
 7. The device for coupling the boat to the mooring according to claim 1, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises an eyehook permanently attached to the first end of the elongate shaft.
 8. The device for coupling the boat to the mooring according to claim 7, wherein a hand grip is positioned adjacent the eyehook to facilitate manipulation of the device by an end user.
 9. The device for coupling the boat to the mooring according to claim 1, wherein the elongate shaft, the hook member and the coupling mechanism are all manufactured from a corrosion resistant material; the shaft has a length of between three (3) feet and five (5) feet; and the shaft has a transverse cross sectional dimension of between about ⅜ to about ½ of an inch.
 10. The device for coupling the boat to the mooring according to claim 1, wherein the elongate retaining and guide section has a length of between 0.5 inch and 4 inches, an outer diameter of between about ¼ and about ½ of an inch and the elongate retaining and guide section is spaced from the transition section by a distance greater than an overall dimension of the desired eyelet to be engaged.
 11. The device for coupling the boat to the mooring according to claim 1, wherein a retrieval apparatus facilitates retrieval of the device when partially submerged, the retrieval apparatus comprises an S-shaped elongate member which has a length of 40±20 inches and at least one end of the elongate member generally has a C-shaped opening which defines a retrieval aperture for engaging with the shaft of the device.
 12. A boat mooring for a boat, the boat mooring comprising: a device for coupling a boat to the boat mooring, the device comprising: an elongate shaft having a first end and an opposed second end, the first end of the shaft having a coupling mechanism for coupling the device to a mooring, and the device defining a longitudinal axis; the second end of the shaft supporting a hook member having a C-shaped hook base with a first end thereof integrally formed with the shaft and a free second end which curves back toward the shaft; and the second free end of the C-shaped hook base comprising an elongate retaining and guide section which extends parallel and adjacent to the shaft and is spaced therefrom so as to facilitate receiving a desired eyelet therebetween a mooring weight for engagement with a bottom of a body of water; a floatable mooring for marking a location of the boat mooring; a second flexible linkage for interconnecting the floatable mooring with the weight; and a first flexible linkage interconnecting the floatable mooring with the coupling member of the device.
 13. The boat mooring for the boat according to claim 12, wherein an unobstructed entrance, for receiving the desired eyelet, is formed between the elongate retaining and guide section and the shaft.
 14. The boat mooring for the boat according to claim 12, wherein the shaft has a thickened transition section where the shaft transitions into the hook member so as to provide additional strength to the device.
 15. The boat mooring for the boat according to claim 12, wherein the C-shaped hook base defines a central open region, and a center of the central open region of the C-shaped hook base is coincident with the longitudinal axis of the device.
 16. The boat mooring for the boat according to claim 15, wherein the elongate retaining and guide section has a length of between 0.5 inch and 4 inches and a leading end of the elongate retaining and guide section forms an unobstructed entrance which leads to the central open region.
 17. The boat mooring for the boat according to claim 16, wherein a leading free end of the elongate retaining and guide section is one of rounded, tapered or contoured so as to facilitate engagement with the desired eyelet.
 18. The boat mooring for the boat according to claim 12, wherein the coupling mechanism comprises an eyehook permanently attached to the first end of the elongate shaft.
 19. The boat mooring for the boat according to claim 18, wherein a hand grip is positioned adjacent the eyehook to facilitate manipulation of the device by an end user; the elongate shaft, the hook member and the coupling mechanism are all manufactured from a corrosion resistant material; the shaft has a length of between three (3) feet and five (5) feet; and the shaft has a transverse cross sectional dimension of between about ⅜ to about ½ of an inch.
 20. The boat mooring for the boat according to claim 12, wherein the elongate retaining and guide section has a length of between 0.5 inch and 4 inches, an outer diameter of between about ¼ and about ½ of an inch and the elongate retaining and guide section is spaced from the transition section by a distance greater than an overall dimension of the desired eyelet to be engaged. 